108 REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



of the Fellenberg prune, and many theories have been 

 advanced, but there is no question but that frosts gave the 

 finishing stroke, while many other factors enter into the ques- 

 tion, such as weak pollination, cold rains, check of sap flow, 

 starvation, etc. Primarily it must be remembered that the Fel- 

 lenberg prune is a weak pollinator under the most favorable 

 conditions. Pollen is very sensitive to climatic changes, and 

 if injured or weakened by cold rains, as was the case this 

 year, it makes a feeble offspring, easily destroyed. Had warm 

 'and pleasant weather followed these cold rains, there is no 

 doubt that many orchards would have pulled through with a 

 fair crop of prunes, l)ut the severe frosts which followed were 

 too much for the embryo prunes in their weakened condition, 

 and they dropped off, which could have been prevented by 

 smudge fires. However, I do not wish to enter into this con- 

 troversy at this time, as it has been thoroughly and conclu- 

 sively proven a correct method of preventing injury to fruits, 

 grains, and vegetables from frosts, and it is too lengthy a 

 subject for a report of this kind. Those who are interested 

 and desire to inform themselves more fully on this subject are 

 referred to page 451 of our last bienniel report, Farmer Bul- 

 letin No. 104, Weather Bureau Bulletins Nos. 186 and 219, 

 United States Department of Agriculture, and to growers in 

 our state who have saved their fruits by smudge fires. (See 

 article on frost in this report.) These reports are far-reaching, 

 hot only for fruit people, but, being copied in hundreds of 

 eastern papers, act as an immigration literature. 



FRUIT CROP OF UNITED STATES. 



Last year I sent out letters of inquiry as to the probable 

 output of fruit in the various fruitgrowing sections of the 

 United States for the benefit of our growers and dealers . The 

 replies received and published proved of great benefit, and 

 were so much appreciated that I have this year again mailed 

 some three hundred letters of inquiry to the officers of horti- 

 cultural societies, state boards of horticulture, principal fruit- 

 growers, and dealers. Two hundred and seventeen replies 

 have been received up to date, from which the following tabu- 

 lated statement was compiled, and I hope it will again prove 

 valuable to the grower, the dealer, and shipper alike. The 

 percentages given are based on a full crop of one hundred per 

 cent. 



